


drowning in the night

by crashing_meteors



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28585713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crashing_meteors/pseuds/crashing_meteors
Summary: Ethan’s been champion for five years, three months, and 22 days, and has been celebrating his five year anniversary as champion for... three months and 22 days. Can you blame him, really? Dethroning Lance, beating Red - he’s a hero. He’s a legend.-Ethan and Silver aren't rivals, anymore, not really, but the tension is still there.  Something's gotta give.
Relationships: Hibiki | Ethan/Silver
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18
Collections: 2020 Pokémon Holiday Exchange





	drowning in the night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lazyquinette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyquinette/gifts).



Ethan’s been champion for five years, three months, and 22 days, and has been celebrating his five-year anniversary as champion for... three months and 22 days. Can you blame him, really? Dethroning Lance, beating Red - he’s a hero. He’s a legend.

He’s probably got, like, way more important things to be doing than going out to the billionth party being held for him, but you’re only young once, right?

"I'm just saying, they've started contacting me about your plans for the league," Lyra tells him as she paints a copious amount of glitter on his chest and shoulders.

"Wait, what?" Ethan asks in surprise, interrupting her brushstrokes. Lyra shoots him a harsh look before continuing her process. "Tell them not to talk to you! They can't bother my friends-"

"They're just concerned about you," Lyra says sternly, and then, more gently, "I don't blame them, Ethan. You haven't been at the Plateau for months now."

"Yeah, well, there haven't been any challengers for months," Ethan grumbles, watching Lyra switch from body paint to bright highlight. "I don't know what they want from me."

"They want you to be a champion," Lyra says softly, and Ethan pretends he doesn't hear.

He didn't really know what that meant, all those years ago. All he cared about was his pokemon and battling and being a hero. He hadn't anticipated things like work and responsibility. Which, like, duh. He was 12. The older he gets, the more they want from him. Isn't it enough for him to be, like, cool and good-looking?

"Just call them back tomorrow, okay?" Lyra presses, pulling him back down to earth. Ethan nods stiffly, not wanting to ruin her work again, and ignores the immense feelings of guilt that slithers up his spine. Reaching over to the speaker beside them and turning the volume up, Ethan lets the bassline of some shitty pop song wash over him so that he isn't forced to think about the fact that, deep down, he should've known all this was coming.

-

-

-

Blackthorn City is the awful kind of indie, pretentious, "you've never read Kafka?" party town that Ethan usually would never be caught dead in, except he's been invited as the guest of honor tonight, and he can't say no. Or, he could, but the thought of not going to something where he's the star physically pains him, so he and Lyra hop on Noctowl and head north to the mountain town, Ethan's neck stiff from the amount of makeup piled on there. 

"I can't even turn my head!" he shouts over the roar of the wind in their ears. "You might've overdone the glitter, Ly!" Lyra shouts a few expletives back at him.

"Next time, don't ask me to make you look like a ninetales!" she screeches, and he hears Noctowl let out a low hoot of agreement. They always end up siding against him.

The music is already blasting when they touch down at Blackthorn - cerebral, techno stuff, but it's fun to dance to and Ethan thinks maybe the city isn't quite as stuck-up as he'd originally thought.

"This is The Young Dracovish, you seriously haven't heard of them?" someone asks their friend as they walk past. "I guess they're just too underground for some people."

Okay, so they're still stuck-up. But at least they have good music.

"Can you believe these people?" Ethan mutters to Lyra as he recalls Noctowl for the evening - none of his pokemon particularly enjoy the sounds of a good party. "Underground my ass. There's this sick bridge in Unova, now that's got some underground music-"

"You've told me once or twice," Lyra teases. "Why don't you save your stories for the adoring fans?"

"At least they appreciate me," Ethan says dramatically, earning a solid shove for the comment. Lyra's quick to forgive, however (she always is), intertwining her fingers with Ethan's and maneuvering her way through the thickening crowd. The event of the night is being held at the base of the Dragon's Den, and frankly, Ethan doesn't know how they got away with that. Supposedly Clair managed to convince the dragon tamers to clear out for the night, but Ethan can only imagine the look on Lance's face if he saw the crowds piling up here.

Not his problem, though. Tonight he's gonna dance, and look hot doing it, and get way more attention than everyone else, and-

"Oh, Silver, hey!" Lyra says awkwardly, and Ethan trips over himself, coming to an uncomfortable backward crouch in an effort not to fall flat on his face, because there is no way that guy is here.

Except, there is a way, apparently. Silver stands over Ethan dressed sharp as ever and looking entirely unimpressed, Clair at his side. The crowd jostles around them and Clair and Lyra are forced aside while Silver is pushed forward until they're literally toe-to-toe. Ethan makes no move to get up, hoping Silver's vision is similar to a tyrantum's - if he doesn't move, maybe he won't be seen.

It's not a great plan, clearly, because Silver lets out a long-suffering sigh and extends a hand down to help Ethan up. Shifting his weight to his left side so he can take the offered hand in his right, Ethan allows himself to be set vertical again.

"Breakdancing?" Silver asks him sarcastically, retracting his hand as soon as Ethan's upright. He crosses his arms and quirks a brow, and suddenly Ethan feels like he's in familiar territory again.

"Sure was," Ethan answers smoothly. "What about you? Looking for the morgue?"

Ethan relishes the way Silver's handsome (no! not handsome! annoying!) face scrunches up at the comment, infuriation radiating out of his pores. Ethan has sworn up and down that if anybody were to ever get so uptight that steam literally came out of their ears, it would be Silver.

"At least I don't look like I rolled around in a sandbox!" Silver snaps, and it's weak sauce but Ethan takes the bait anyway.

"It's called body glitter, moron, but considering you've never had fun in your life you might not be familiar-"

"Glad to see you boys getting reacquainted," Clair interrupts, having fought off the mass of partygoers. Lyra is with her, panting heavily.

"I was just leaving, actually," Silver says coldly, and Ethan feels a twinge of disappointment. Clair looks like she wants to argue but seems to think better of it - she gives Ethan and Lyra a friendly wave and follows after the dark cloud known as Silver.

"You left me!" Ethan hisses the moment they're out of earshot, but Lyra just rolls her eyes.

"You think I wanted to?" she asks him irritably, and upon closer inspection, Ethan notices her cheeks are still red from her struggle to get back to him. "It's not my fault you're too immature to talk to him like a normal human being." Ethan has the decency to look a little guilty, and Lyra lets it go.

"Let's just have fun, okay?"

-

-

-

It's not as great a night as Ethan was hoping for, but it's not terrible either.

He gets flirted with, a lot, by boys and girls alike. All of them offering to buy him drinks or food, rubbing elbows and complimenting his outfit. For some reason, it doesn't really thrill him like it usually would, but he has Lyra, who tends to be able to match his energy when she's having a good time, so they dance the night away and ignore pretty much everyone else. Of course, he makes a speech or two, as is expected at these things, and everyone cheers like they're supposed, and Ethan pretends he doesn't see Silver pretending not to pay attention to him.

It's late, probably two in the morning, when the crowd finally begins to dwindle. Ethan's still raring to go, even with most of the golden makeup melted away, but Lyra's stifled three yawns now, and even he knows that means that the night is close to ending.

"One more song, Ly?" Ethan asks her, poking the center of his best friend's forehead in an attempt to wake her up. Lyra swats at him but smiles, bouncing on the balls of her feet and moving to the music. Nothing rouses Lyra like the promise of going home soon.

The music fades out, only to be quickly replaced by an echoey synth paired with fast-paced drums. Ethan grins to himself, spinning Lyra around in a neat circle. This is the kind of song to end the night with.

They've only just gotten into the rhythm when there's a loud crash and a set of screeches from somewhere behind them. Ethan whips around instinctively - sure enough, a whole flock of zubats and golbats comes careening towards them from the southern end of the city, crashing into signs and clawing at the hair of unsuspecting partygoers. Sudowoodo is out in a flash, hurtling rocks towards the bat pokemon at Ethan's command. It takes Lyra a few moments of fumbling, but she manages to release Azurill. By the time he's called out Feraligatr, there's a loud shriek to Ethan's left - a few golbats have surrounded a crying woman.

"Get everyone out of here - into the gym if they can fit!" Ethan shouts over the din of the pokemon, ordering Feraligatr to hose the pokemon down if only to get them away from their victim. A few other trainers release their teams, but more run about flailing, seeking shelter.

"Got it," Lyra says, and Ethan can't help the surge of pride that shoots through him as he watches her swallow her nerves and begin to herd the last of the stragglers into the gym.

"How did this even happen?" a familiar voice says beside him. Silver is at his side as if he'd been there all along, directing Magnezone to paralyze the nearest zubats. Meganium, in all her graceful glory, watches the chaos with narrowed eyes.

"Clair and I soundproofed the Dragon's Den and the entrance to the Ice Path for the night, someone must have sabotaged our work," Silver says in between calling out moves. Ethan can barely even process the idea that Silver helped to preserve local pokemon habitats, let alone that this attack might have been intentional.

"Let's deal with that later!" Ethan shouts back, ducking to avoid a poison spray. It's not really necessary, apparently - Meganium shields him as though on instinct. Silver and the large grass pokemon share a cryptic look, but Ethan doesn't have very long to think about it before they're being dive-bombed again.

It's an exhausting struggle, even if the pokemon only take about 20 minutes or so to catch and heal. Admittedly Magnezone did the heavy-lifting with their paralyzes, and Ethan doesn't miss the way Silver twists the pokemon's bolts affectionately. Magnezone lets out a happy little trill, sending a small, affectionate electric shock Silver's way, and causing his hair to stick straight up. It's only because he's grateful that Ethan laughs into his arm rather than out loud.

Meganium goes off on her own, seeking out the injured and healing them, her calming aura quieting the cries of the drunken partiers. Ethan sends out Togekiss and softly instructs him to do the same as he and Silver begin the long process of hauling the healed bat pokemon back to the Ice Path.

"This party was out of control," Silver mutters as he and Ethan carry the bags of spare pokeballs, now chock-full of wild pokemon, back to their homes. "What kind of asinine prank - who in their right mind would poke at sleeping zubats?"

"Wasted ravers," Ethan supplies unhelpfully, and Silver just snorts in frustration. For all the exhaustion of the battle, Ethan's still thrumming with energy, still craving some kind of outlet. He can't tell if it's anger or adrenaline. One by one, he and Silver begin to carefully release the resting zubats and golbats, returning the disrupted pokemon to their nests in matching pairs of scentless gloves. There's no guarantee the pokemon will be back to normal tomorrow - in fact, it's more than likely they'll be confused and causing problems for the next week. Ethan's already agreed to stick around and help Clair deal with the aftermath.

As the last of the creatures are replaced back in their homes, Ethan takes note of the surrounding pokemon, ensuring they've gotten out of this mess relatively unscathed. A flock of delibirds had awoken to investigate the disturbance, but other than a few friendly bumps to Ethan's side, they'd mostly been left alone to their work. Silver places a particularly tiny zubat in between two larger golbats where it will be well-protected, and if Ethan isn't mistaken, he even gives the pokemon's wing a gentle rub between his fingers. When Silver turns around to catch him staring, Ethan isn't sure why he feels himself blush.

"Thanks," he says awkwardly, and Silver shrugs.

"I take care of my home," is all Silver says as they exit the icy cave, and there's something a little nasty in his tone.

"So do I," Ethan says defensively, gesturing around at the work he just did. Silver rolls his eyes.

"If it weren't for your extravagant parties-"

"Hey, they invite me to these things," Ethan says bitterly, stopping short of Blackthorn's main path. "It's good for local business, or something. I don't know. But you can't blame me for what happened tonight-"

"Maybe there'd be less parties if you actually showed up to the Indigo Plateau once in a while."

Ethan recoils as if slapped. His head is pounding and everything around him seems muted, except for stupid Silver and his stupid attractive face. Silver shuffles awkwardly under Ethan's stare.

"What do you know," Ethan huffs, stalking away from Silver and blinking away the pinpricks of tears. What does Silver know, anyway? It's close to four in the morning, he's got to go home, he's got to get out of this stupid city.

"I know you're probably scared," Silver says quietly, and even before he starts screaming Ethan knows it's an overreaction.

He does it anyway.

"No shit!" Ethan roars, rounding on Silver. "I run a country now! How does that even happen?? I was 12, Silver! And I took down a gang basically by myself! And now everyone expects me to make these decisions and handle these laws and I don't want it anymore!"

The screams turn to sobs embarrassingly quickly as he collapses, and Ethan selfishly wishes he hadn't left half his pokemon back by the Dragon's Den. Still, one of his pokeballs rumbles, and Eevee hops out, blinking rapidly. He stares at Ethan in surprise, and then promptly curls into Ethan's lap, purring and nuzzling and doing everything in his power to get Ethan to calm down. The choking sobs don't subside, however, until Silver lays a hand on Ethan's shoulder, and then kneels in front of him, and then gathers him into an embrace warmer than Ethan thought the boy was capable of.

"I don't want it," Ethan cries into Silver's arms, "I can't do it."

"You can," Silver murmurs, holding Ethan tight against his chest. "It's not fair, none of it's fair. We were so young. But you can do it."

"What do you know?" Ethan repeats, his tears slowing little-by-little. "How do you know what I can do?"

"Ethan, I've watched you do impossible things for as long as I've known you," Silver replies automatically, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, like he's said it a thousand times before. He speaks directly into the side of Ethan's face, and for some reason, Ethan is certain if they were looking at one another, this conversation wouldn't be happening.

"You're the most amazing boy I've ever met," Silver says, his voice barely a whisper. Ethan's mind whirs, trying very hard to comprehend what he's being told, figuring out just what to say.

"Yeah, well, if it weren't for these extravagant parties," Ethan says, settling on the safety of a joke. Silver barks out a laugh that seems to surprise even himself.

"Sorry," Silver mumbles against his cheek as Ethan begins to breathe easier, his cries coming out in tiny hiccups.

"For what?" Ethan asks him, only just realizing now that his arms are wrapped tightly around Silver's middle. "You were right."

"Yeah, well, yeah," Silver says, not denying it, and Ethan laughs wetly. "I still didn't have to...I mean, it was...um...mean?"

"You? Mean? Never," Ethan says, reluctantly pulling away to wipe his eyes. Silver rises on awkward legs, and, after a moment's hesitation, offers both his hands to help Ethan up once again. Placing Eevee soundly on his shoulder, Ethan accepts the help. Silver brings him up and forward, and despite the fact that Ethan's standing, they don't let go of each other's hands. Eevee mewls curiously, but resigns himself to napping comfortably on Ethan's shoulders. Silver still doesn't let go of his hands. In the darkness, Ethan would almost think Silver looks flushed.

"Don't ever mention this to anyone," Ethan whisper without any heat. Silver chews his lip like he's deciding something.

"I'm serious, Silver-" but Ethan doesn't get to finish the threat before Silver is leaning in and capturing Ethan's lips with the softest of barely-there kisses. It happens so fast and ends so quickly Ethan swears he can hear the gears grinding to a halt in his head.

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine," Silver whispers, and okay, even through the haze that is handsome-mysterious-boy-just-kissed-me, Ethan is totally sure Silver's blushing right now.

"Um. Yeah. Um. Okay," Ethan stutters out, robotic. Silver releases one of his hands and tugs gently at the other, guiding them back into town. "Can I just ask, um. Why did you do that?"

"I've been wanting to kiss you all night, ever since you showed up in that ridiculous gold paint," Silver admits, sounding ashamed of himself, but also just a little bit pleased. He stops suddenly, turning to face Ethan.

"Was it okay? Maybe it was bad timing, I just thought, I don't know, that was stupid-"

Ethan silences him with a reciprocal kiss, longer and more confident than Silver had bestowed upon him. Silver's hands reach out to him, one resting at his unoccupied shoulder, anchoring him, the other reaching for his hair-

Silver pulls away, breathless, and Ethan wonders absently how many people he's kissed, if any. A thrill of excitement runs down his spine at the prospect that Ethan's his first, that Silver _chose_ Ethan first-

"Let's get back to town," Silver mutters, walking a little ahead of Ethan now that they're so close to the main streets, now that the lamplight might illuminate their shared secrets. Ethan doesn't even have a witty remark lined up, he just reaches out to Eevee to pet between her ears and follows Silver's beeline towards the gym.

Lyra and their pokemon are waiting patiently, the city all but cleared out. Clair is berating a group of teenaged boys who thought they'd be pulling a harmless prank - but the two weeks of community service Clair is currently slapping them with says otherwise.

Silver wordlessly moves to Clair's side, ignoring a pointed look from Meganium that Ethan recognizes very clearly as "I told you so" - Feraligatr has given him the exact same look countless times. Lyra sidles up next to Ethan and nudges him.

"How'd it go with Grumpy?" she asks, and Ethan smiles dreamily, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

"Oh, you know," he says vaguely, watching with unexpected fondness as Silver joins Clair's ranting, "uneventful."

**Author's Note:**

> Written for lazyquinette as part of the Secret Stantler exchange - I hope you enjoy! I know people tend to focus on Silver's angst more than Ethan's, but the concept of kid champions has always been so sad and overwhelming to me. Of course, I like writing about and exploring sad things, so I naturally decided to include it here. This is my first pokemon fic and I'm excited to share with all of you.
> 
> lazyquinette, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and here's to a better year going forward!
> 
> Title from The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights".


End file.
